#OWNYOURSTORY

“Mai chahtee hoon kay mai kissi ki muhtaaj na rahoon” Fozia is driven. She has to be, as she is almost entirely on her own. Her husband tends to disappear for months on end; once he even left for a year and a half, during which she knew little to nothing of his whereabouts. Nowadays, even though he can be found at home, he is unable to work because he is suffering from kidney pains.

To make ends meet Fozia runs a home based tailoring business, stitching mostly men’s clothing, but it isn’t even close to being enough. She wants to expand her business and spend designing women’s clothing as well. However, she has just found out that she too is unwell, and that her medication will cost her around Rs. 6000. She doesn’t know how she will make do as she has to hand the money she earns over to her husband, who fights her if she spends it herself.

Still, she is motivated as she has three children she must care for. Praising them, she says they never complain, and never ask for anything they know she cannot give them. She tells us that she wants to do so much for them but often feels frustrated at her helplessness.